Are we really that self loathing? Are we really that eager to add another notch in our belt of Great Cleveland Losses? I, for one, am not.

Those other losses (The Drive, The Shot, The Fumble, The Mesa) get names because of the nature of the losses. Those were devastating, soul crushing losses. Cleveland was winning and then lost late. They choked. They blew it. They failed when it mattered.

"The Sweep"? Please, this wasn't a devastating loss. Sure, it sucked and it definitely wasn't fun. But the Cavs were outplayed, outclassed and outvictoried. They were the inferior team. These losses weren't devastating, they were sobering.

These losses showed us how far the Cavs have to go in order to compete with the best teams in the NBA. They showed us that the Cavs have work to do. This series exposed the Cavs (and LeBron's) problems.

If you were devastated by these losses, then you are a moron. At the very least, you haven't been paying attention to the NBA all season and most likely just started watching the Cavs after LeBron dropped 48 on Detroit. If this loss was devastating, then you were probably one of the people bitching about 'no respect' when everyone was picking the Spurs.

The Cavs are a good, but not great team. They didn't blow this series. They didn't choke. They got beat by a (much) better team with a (much) better coach. Would I have liked them to win a game? Of course. Getting swept sucks ass. But the Cavs have nothing to be ashamed of. The fact that they got there at all was a miracle in and of itself.

They don't have an offense to speak of, their 3pt shooters can't shoot, they don't have any type of enforcer and/or shot blocker and they don't have a point guard. This team went as far as it could go. It beat all the teams that it should've beaten and it made the Finals and lost to a better, more experienced team.

So don't even attempt to put this up there in Cleveland sports heartbreak lore. It just doesn't work. Nothing phenomenal or amazing caused this sweep. This was a good team losing to a great team. Nothing more, nothing less. There's no shame in getting swept by the Spurs.

And if you really want to call something The Sweep, try these guys. The Cavs don't even compare.

4 comments:

What do you make of all this "Danny Ferry and Steve Kerr are tight" talk?

Windhorst had a non-rumor rumor about the Suns loving Drew Gooden (??) and maybe wanting to deal Shawn Marion to dump salary.

I know a lot of Cleveland fans would have New Year's Even in July if the Cavs acquired Marion, but why does that not seem to add up?

The Suns play such an unorthodox, Euro-ball style offense where pretty much everyone is a wing player, no one really even ventures into the post. Everyone, Marion and Stoudemire included, just seem to make cuts to the basket and wait for Nash to find them.

Besides, taking a majorly-talented offensive player like Marion and handing him to Mike Brown is like handing a particle accelerator to a pastry chef. What's Brown going to do with Marion? He'll turn him into a banger who averages 10 and 10 a night, I fear.

Marc Stein (for whatever it's worth) says Marion wants to veto a trade that would send him to Minnesota for Kevin Garnett.

Garnett reportedly would give his left foot to be traded to the Suns, but Marion has no interest in going to Minny, even though he would be "the man" there without Garnett.

I think cold weather is a factor. It's a highly-underrated hurdle the Cavs, Wolves and other NBA teams in nothern cities have to overcome. It makes attracting top-notch talent twice as hard just because of the time of year the NBA plays.

Basically, a northern team has to be absolutely and without a doubt a title contender (probably needs to have a title already) to attract someone like Garnett or Marion. But teams like the Heat, Suns and Magic have all-stars lining up to join them at cut-rate prices because players can cruise around with the top down on their Bentley after the game.

It seems stupid, but I think it's a real factor. I'm wondering, should the Cavs make a play for a all-star-caliber player to place alongside LeBron, who they'd be able to reel in.

The combination of sharing the spotlight with LeBron and knowing the Ferrari will need to stay in Florida for the winter might keep a lot of the bling-bling players away.